


My Little Dancer

by hellolovelyautumn



Category: Lovelyz, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-06-25 09:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19742761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellolovelyautumn/pseuds/hellolovelyautumn
Summary: a jeon jungkook x jung yein storyFinally entering the college of her dreams, Jung Yein's excited to do her very best in her studies. She didn't think she would want to dance again for after all, she had been dancing her whole life.Inevitably, she gets involved in a dance club and that's where she realises the love she always had for the art. And it's also where she discovers a love she had never experienced.Written: 3 March 2019





	1. new beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hi~ Hello~ (Sending out love to Day 6's Hi Hello)
> 
> As you can probably tell from the book's synopsis, this story has been sitting and waiting to be completed and published for 'bout four and a half months now. (Always happens when you've got that story idea and start writing excitedly but then you get stuck with the development.)
> 
> And when you just have that urge to roll out the story (with it still being somewhat incomplete) then yep, just roll it.
> 
> Thinking back, this is the first BTS x Lovelyz story I'm releasing (not counting tiny tiny snippets like that found in 아름다운 느낌 / Beautiful Feeling, hint: Jiae's short). I think of all the possible couples within these two groups, the maknae couple's got to be the one that I have a soft spot for.
> 
> A little background: I've followed Lovelyz since their pre-debut (Soul's No Better Than Strangers release in 2011) and only came to know of Bangtan when I searched "Lovelyz Yein" and somehow Jungkook's face popped up among the search results. And my reaction was "Huh? What? Who are you?!" And ended up listening to them since Boy in Luv era. Heh.
> 
> So yayyy, let's get on with rolling this story out! Woohoo!~
> 
> Much loves from,  
> and the one who hopes that you will enjoy this 'lil story,  
> hellolovelyautumn

_"_ _And suddenly you know:_  
_It's time to start something new_  
_and trust the magic of new beginnings."_  
_Meister Eckhart_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A girl stopped in her tracks as she placed one foot next to the other, in what was a relatively new pair of sneakers she had rewarded herself with her first pay from her part time gig. Her hands gripped the fabric she was hugging close to her chest, her laptop enclosed within.

Excitedly yet with a tinge of nervousness, Yein exclaimed in a whisper, "I'm finally here!"

Yonsei University. Her dream school since the first time she heard about it when she was eight. As ridiculous as it sounds, it was the school she had strived for since then.

_"Are you really leaving?" the then eight year old her questioned with a frown._

_Lifting his hand only so slightly because she was barely half his height, he ruffled her hair and smiled gently, "if you work hard, you can go to college in Seoul too!"_

_All she could do was to look down with a pout, dejected that he was going far away._

Now at the age of twenty, Yein was here at the entrance of her dream school, a naive smile plastered on her face, all ready to take on whatever that may come her way. Hurriedly, she headed to her first lecture in which she quite easily found her way for she had studied the layout of the school inside out and had memorised it by heart.

Entering the lecture theatre, she noticed that half the cohort had reached. _They must be just as excited as I am._ Sliding into one of the seats in the fifth row at the corner, she began taking out the books required for the class.

Soon, the theatre filled up and the professor began his teaching. Ten minutes into the lesson, the side door creaked open and two boys entered huffing and puffing.

"Oh wow, Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung. I'm surprised you're in my class again. But not surprised that you're late," Professor Kang clicked his tongue and shook his head. Using his fingers to gesture them to take a seat, he returned to the blackboard.

The two boys quickly found seats, which happened to be right in front of Yein. As they settled down, she narrowed her eyes at them with slight distaste. _Late on the first day of school._ She shook her head.

To make matters more annoying, hushed whispers could be heard behind from girls who were evidently more excited about the two boys rather than the class that was going on for they said things like 'oh my god it's Jungkook', 'Taehyung is so darn hot', and 'I'm so glad they're in this lecture'.

 _Why do you girls even go to school for?_ She mentally rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the professor and the lesson.

//

Giving her back a good stretch, Yein looked around accomplished. She had finally finished unpacking her things in her new hostel room. It was a little small but sufficient and with the extra fluffy pillows she had brought along, it felt cosy enough.

 _Just need to take a shower and do some readings for tomorrow's lectures._ Picking out her pajamas, which was simply an oversized tee and a pair of slacks, she took her basket of toiletries, draped her towel over her shoulder and headed out to the common bathroom.

She liked that despite the numerous rooms on each floor, they were well ventilated and the common bathroom located on the same level was especially large. For girls, it's definitely a plus.

With her wet hair bundled up in her towel, Yein trod towards her room and right when she tapped her card to her room, she heard the door next to hers click open.

Turning her head upon instinct, she saw a tall girl with long reddish hair coming out and was struck by how pretty she looked. Inevitably making eye contact, the girl immediately broke into a wide grin and walked over.

"Hello! Looks like you're my new neighbour!" she chuckled. "I'm Sujeong. Ryu Sujeong!"

"Ah!" Yein, with her hands full of her items, fumbled to free one and as she shook hands, she answered, "I'm Yein. Jung Yein."

"First year?"

"Yes, I am a first year! How about you?"

"I'm a second year."

Yein wasn't really surprised to find out that the girl in front of her was a second year because of her confidence but she also couldn't really believe that the girl was older since she looked youthful.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry sunbaenim. That you have to see me in such a state," she pointed at her bundled up hair.

Bursting out in laughter, Sujeong shook her head. "It's totally alright. I do that too."

The exchange was interrupted by a phone call and upon seeing who the caller was, Sujeong turned to Yein with the same smile she first gave. "I'm sorry Yein, I've got to go."

"Sure, please go ahead."

"See you around!"

Closing the door, Yein opened her laptop and quickly got to work.

//

"Oh! Yein!"

Yein raised her head from her lunch and saw Sujeong standing in front of the table with a tray in hand. There was another girl with her who was quite much shorter but her face was bright and kind.

"Can we join you?"

"Ah sure sunbaenim, have a seat!"

Chuckling, Sujeong sat across Yein and her friend helped herself to the seat beside. "You can drop the sunbaenim, Yein. I'm not a sucker for seniority."

Yein nodded her head in response.

"By the way, this is Jiyeon," Sujeong gestured towards her friend.

Flashing an elegant smile, Jiyeon introduced, "hello, I'm Kim Jiyeon. You must be Yein."

Eyes widening slightly, Yein wondered why Sujeong told Jiyeon about her since she didn't think their meeting was anything special; she was just another freshman on campus.

"Are you going for the block orientation this weekend?" asked Sujeong.

Yein shook her head, "I wasn't planning to so I didn't sign up."

"Aw, but you should! Sujeong and I are in the planning committee!" Jiyeon said with a slight whine in her voice.

It wasn't that Yein disliked orientations; she did like meeting and mingling with people. But she had heard of the crazy things seniors made the freshmen do and she didn't want to be part of any of that. Thinking to herself that if someone sweet like Sujeong and Jiyeon were part of the committee, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Changing her mind, Yein turned to her seniors with a smile, "alright, I guess I shall go then."

//

The weekends soon arrived and Yein struggled to get out of bed at seven thirty since the orientation was slated to start at eight. _Who the heck plans orientation to start so early in the morning?!_

She eventually dragged herself out and got ready in twenty minutes. Throwing on a pair of washed-out jeggings and a loose white top, she slung over her black crossbody bag, squeezed her feet into her sneakers and grabbed her cap as she left.

Upon entering the hall, she was surprised to be greeted by a bustling community. She could easily identify the freshmen from the seniors for the latter were all wearing the same blue sweater. Evidently, the blue was more in number. _Because it's way too early. Bet some freshmen are still asleep._

"Yein!! Over here!" Sujeong was waving from the registration booth. Jiyeon, who was organising some papers, looked up and waved as well.

"You woke up on time huh," Sujeong said as Yein approached their table.

Feigning a yawn, Yein shook her head, "I had a hard time."

"It's okay because you're in for a _great_ time!" Sujeong winked as she handed over a new sweater to Yein as a welcome gift from the block. "You're in group three!"

Signalling okay, Yein set out to find her group.

_Let's hope this is fun._


	2. mingle

_"_ _The great thing about new friends_  
_is that they bring energy to your soul."_  
_Shanna Rodriguez_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

To Yein's surprise, the orientation was turning out to be pretty awesome. The students lodging at her block came from a wide variety of majors and they were definitely more fun that stupid.

If you'd like to know what kind of variety, Sujeong was a medical student, Jiyeon, a musical major and Yein herself in mechanical engineering.

"Enjoying it so far?" Jiyeon asked as they sat down for lunch. It was day two (also the last day) of orientation and they had just broke off for lunch.

Yein nodded coolly, "yeah, it's great. Glad I came."

"Do you have any clubs you're interested in?" Mijoo asked as she and Jisoo joined them. Mijoo was a final year in her early childhood degree while her roommate, Jisoo, was pursuing fine arts in illustration. Their room was a level above Sujeong and Yein's. (Jiyeon was a level down.)

"Not that I can think of." Turning to her new friends, Yein asked, "what clubs are y'all in? I only know Mijoo unni is in dance."

" _Revolution_ to be exact," corrected Mijoo in a sassy manner. "It's not just _any_ dance club."

"Right, _Revolution_ ," Yein repeated, imitating her sass.

"Med school's pretty mad so I only have time for a little busking," Sujeong informed.

"There's such a club as busking?!"

Sujeong nodded. "Little requirement. Pretty much free and easy; you do what you want, whenever you want."

"I'm in the broadcasting club and Jisoo unni's in a band," continued Jiyeon.

"Wow, a band!" Yein exclaimed. "This school sure has some interesting clubs."

"You should go take a look at the club booths, maybe you'll find something that sparks your interest."

Yein thought for a moment before agreeing. As much as she enjoyed studying, she knew she shouldn't simply bury herself under books. _Oppa would have nagged that I need a life._

//

Yein had been to club booths back in middle and high school. But club booths at college were on a whole different level.

_Is this a festival?!_

Back home, club booths were simple – two tables, two chairs and a handmade signboard. Over here, it was extreme. 'Overboard' might have been a better word to describe it.

Everywhere she turned, there were people handing out flyers, in which some were presently shoving the papers into her hands, dancers showcasing their talents, cheerleaders tossing girls in the air, and volleyballers rallying with each other, just to name a few.

It was rather overwhelming and it made Yein feel so small. She had decided to explore the clubs on her own even though Jiyeon had kindly offered to show her around. She knew Jiyeon had committee things to settle and didn't want to be a bother.

"Oh! Jung Yein!"

Yein frowned upon hearing her name come from the mouth of a guy she found unfamiliar. She wondered if she's supposed to know him but she definitely did not recognise him.

"Come and check out the deejay club!" he told her as he handed her a flyer.

Simply taking it and giving a short bow, she quickly walked on. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she noticed how people seemed to be staring and whispering amongst themselves.

_I didn't do something wrong, did I?_

"Nope you didn't."

Yein halted abruptly. Scrutinising the person before her, she dug through her mental database and remembered where she had seen him. He was one of the two who were late on the first day of school. It wasn't hard to notice him for after all, he had ash hair and somehow an aura that attracted attention.

_He was at our block orientation too... Means he stays in our block huh._

"You're wondering why people are staring at you right?"

Yein tilted her head to the side. He wasn't wrong but by saying yes, she would come across as a self-centred person. Furthermore, she wasn't obliged to answer someone she didn't know. Even so, she didn't want to appear rude so she knew she couldn't simply ignore him.

"I'm sorry?"

Chuckling, he shook his head and said, "you're really quite the clueless sort eh? Much like she said you were."

Even more puzzled, Yein frowned harder.

"You're scaring her, Taehyung." Yein watched as Sujeong sauntered over and handed him a cup of iced coffee.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm Kim Taehyung," the guy said as he scratched the back of his head. Turning to Sujeong, he continued, "she really has no idea huh?"

Sujeong, in turn, smiled. "Yep, she's _absolutely_ clueless."

Frustrated, Yein waved her arms in front of them, "um, what on earth am I missing out here?"

Closing in on Yein, Sujeong whispered into her ear, "you're famous."

"I beg your pardon?!"

"You're pretty, you dress well, you carry yourself well. And you know how engineering only has guys, you're bound to stand out," Sujeong calmly explained as she began walking. "So you've been the talk of the town – or at least, word spreads like fire here."

"And that's why people I don't know have been calling out to me?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Right."

//

Still aimlessly walking around, Yein was now alone after separating from Sujeong and Taehyung (whom she deduced had something going on with each other).

She stopped when something caught her attention – a circle of people gathered around, dancing. She was about to walk away when she spotted the other (late) guy from her class. He was being motioned out to the centre and when the beat dropped, he too flowed with it.

Before she knew it, Yein stood there, mesmerised at his charisma and smoothness. She didn't know she had her mouth slightly hanging until he suddenly looked over and met her gaze. Awkwardly clamming her mouth, she quickly diverted her eyes elsewhere and they landed on the club's signboard which read _Revolution._

_Ah? It's the dance club that Mijoo unni is in._

Hurriedly turning on her heels, she walked away from the commotion of screaming girls who had watched the same dance and were going crazy over him.

//

"So found anything you like?" Jisoo asked as she leaned back against her headboard and crunched into a cereal bar.

"Not exactly. There were way too many clubs out there."

Yein's sole intention of going to Jisoo and Mijoo's room was to return something Mijoo had left behind but ended up staying because Jisoo had convinced her to. Although she had work to catch up on, she was feeling a little lazy and was pretty exhausted from the block orientation.

The room door suddenly beeped open, revealing a sweaty Mijoo in her dance attire.

"Oh ho. Look who's here!" Mijoo excitedly tumbled in and attempted to hug Yein who shrank away because she was clean while Mijoo wasn't. It ended with Jisoo giving the final call to stop Mijoo from her crazy antics.

Mijoo, finally calm, began rummaging through her wardrobe for clean clothes.

"Ah, I heard you were at the club booth just now. Our club booth."

Slightly taken aback by how such a news would have reached Mijoo, Yein mumbled, "right, I just stayed for a while. They were pretty good."

Closing her wardrobe door with a slam, Mijoo turned around, hand still on the doors, and a sly smile crept across her face, "join us then."


	3. adrenaline

_"Anything that gets your blood_   
_racing is probably worth doing."_   
_Hunter S. Thompson_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yein rolled about in bed, mumbling and grumbling. It was seven ten in the evening and she was supposed to be meeting Mijoo at seven twenty. For what? For her club's first practice of the semester, where they were welcoming the first years.

Other than hearing that Yein was at her club booth, Mijoo somehow found out that Yein used to dance. She had absolutely no idea who in the school would have known that fact about her because she was the only one from her hometown who enrolled here.

Not that she wanted to keep her dance background a secret, she just didn't want to be involuntarily tied to it. Dancing her whole life since four made it only natural to be involved in it. The biggest question she struggled with was – _do I really enjoy it?_

With a grunt, Yein raised her head from her bed (for she had been lying on her stomach) and began digging for clothes that were comfortable to dance in. She eventually settled on a pair of joggers and a baggy 3/4 sleeve top that was slightly cropped.

Stuffing her water bottle, an exercise towel and other small necessities into her bag, she slung it over her shoulders and headed downstairs to meet Mijoo at the lobby.

"Wow. The way you dress just gives the air that you're a dancer. Do you know that?"

"I'm sure non-dancers dress like that too," Yein rolled her eyes as she said sarcastically.

"Alright alright. Let's get going then," Mijoo playfully pushed Yein from behind, forcing her to walk at her friend's pace.

//

The time was now seven forty-five. Practice was scheduled to start at eight and most of the seniors were already present. Several freshmen streamed into the studio and only stayed near the wall. They gave the impression that they were scared of the seniors, seeing how they gathered in a corner and whispered amongst themselves.

Yein, on the other hand, was in a corner of her own, doing some light stretching. It had been a while since she danced, and she knew her body needed a good warm up or she'll risk an injury.

At eight on the dot, the seniors gathered everyone in the studio and they began warming up together. From stretching to a few sets of jumping jacks, Yein soon had sweat trickling down her forehead.

She quickly wipe the sweat off with her towel and gulped down water. She was used to taking quick, short breaks for she knew how much time mattered during practice. As she prepared to go back to the centre of the studio, Yein noticed how majority of the students were taking their own sweet time.

_Right, I guess not everyone is like that._

At that moment, someone clapped his hands and Yein turned towards him. It was Jimin, the president of Revolution and a third year in contemporary dance. He had been leading the practice so far and it seemed like he would continue doing so.

"We'll be learning a simple choreography now and after that, we'll break into groups to perform while the others watch. Okay Jungkook, lead us."

When the guy who was called stepped to the centre, Yein realised who it was. _It's that guy from before._

When the so-called class ended, they were split randomly and Yein took a seat. She was in the last group. She noticed how the freshmen were separated from the seniors and had a hunch that the seniors were 'grading' them.

The senior groups went first and man, were they good. The choreography was honestly not that simple. It required at least a certain level of basic experience to be executed well. And hence, it was obvious among the freshmen who didn't have that foundation and as a result, couldn't keep up with the others.

Finally, it was Yein's group's turn. She roughly recalled the freshmen in her group were not too bad during the class. _But then again, the most important thing is to not get distracted by others._ She reminded herself of her principles and focused on doing a good job instead.

The music came on and Yein danced what she had learned.

Even for Yein, it was a little difficult, considering how it wasn't a genre and particular technique she was used to. Ending with a pop and drop of her hands slowly, she was breathing heavily, having given her all.

Once everyone had seated down towards the walls of the studio, Jimin stood up to address them, "well done everyone. We will be sending you the videos that we have taken for you to scrutinise your movements but now, we just wanna have a time of individual dancing."

Yein was stunned. She wasn't prepared for such a thing. _Was it not simply a practice?_ Briefly scanning the room, she saw how the freshmen looked nervous and yet fully aware of what was going on. That's when she knew, she was the only one who didn't know.

_They must have known there was some sort of audition. They look prepared._

Yein wasn't wrong. Since Revolution was such a _revolutionary_ club, they always conducted unannounced auditions for incoming freshmen. Those who joined, all knew about it and had prepared an item.

Glaring at Mijoo in her head, she wondered why she wasn't told about it.

//

As the _auditions_ went on, Yein could jarringly tell the experienced ones from the amateurs. Snapping herself back to reality, she racked through her brain to choose a song to dance to.

_Ah, okay. That song._ She decided as she stood up for her turn. She saw in the corner of her eye Mijoo giving her silent cheer.

"Human by Christina Perri please."

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Yein got into position, sitting down and curling up into a ball.

_I can hold my breath_   
_I can bite my tongue_   
_I can stay awake for days_   
_If that's what you want_   
_Be your number one_

_I can fake a smile_   
_I can force a laugh_   
_I can dance and play the part_   
_If that's what you ask_   
_Give you all I am_

_I can do it_   
_I can do it_   
_I can do it_

_But I'm only human_   
_And I bleed when I fall down_   
_I'm only human_   
_And I crash and I break down_   
_Your words in my head, knives in my heart_   
_You build up and then I fall apart_   
_Cause I'm only human_

_\- -_

_I can take so much_   
_Until I've had enough_

Yein ended sprawled sideways on the floor, eyes closed and panting from the exertion. It was evident to her that her fitness had decreased a little from not dancing for a year but all she could think of as she stood up and walked back to the side of the studio was the adrenaline and pure excitement she had while performing.

_Dance huh. I guess I do love you._


	4. a close shave

_"Surround yourself only with_   
_people who are going to lift you higher."_   
_Oprah Winfrey_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"OH MY GOODNESS. YOU WERE AMAZING!"

Yein squeezed her eyes shut and cupped one hand over her right ear and the other was used to push a ridiculously loud Mijoo away. The latter was so ecstatic that she was slapping Yein's shoulder and screaming, disregarding any other humans in the studio.

"You're awfully loud, Mijoo unni."

Finally settled, Mijoo sat down beside the freshman. "You really have some background man. You were really, really awesome!"

"Right, guys?" Mijoo shouted across the studio to her friends who were packing up. Most of the students had left and only the committee was left, in which Mijoo was one of them.

"Yah man! You were awesome!" Jimin bubbly answered and scurried over to the girls, leaving Jungkook behind.

"How long have you been dancing?" Jimin asked.

"Uh..." Yein uncomfortably shifted backwards for Jimin sat a little too close for comfort. "I started ballet at four... majored in contemporary in middle to high school..."

Jimin's eyes immediately lit up. "What school?"

Yein's eyes darted around. Other than Jimin's close proximity causing discomfort, there was another issue across the studio. Jungkook was glaring from where he was seated. At least it very much seemed like an unwelcoming glare to her.

"Cheon Ha Arts Middle and High School."

"Cheon Ha?!" Mijoo and Jimin exclaimed.

"Then shouldn't you know Jungkook? He was from Cheon Ha too!" Jimin, now on his knees, pointed at his friend. "And he was legendary!"

At that claim, Jimin received a towel to his face. Dropping a bag on the floor beside Jimin, Jungkook coldly ordered, "hurry up. Let's go now."

Snickering, Jimin whispered to Yein, though loud enough for everyone to hear, "he doesn't like being called a legend. Heck, he doesn't like anyone talking about him back in Cheon Ha."

As they all stood to leave, Yein tipped her head to one side, confusion written on her face.

_If he was a legend, why do I not have any impression of him at all? Jeon Jungkook?_

Shrugging it off, she followed them out of the studio.

//

Eyes slowly shutting, hand gradually loosing grip of the pen and head on the verge of slamming unto the table, Yein, for the umpteenth time, nodded off. Letting the pen roll off her fingers and putting her head on the table, Yein groaned.

_It's all because of the dance prac._

She was currently attempting to do some advance readings but it obviously wasn't going well. The dance practice had drained so much energy out of her that she could hardly stay awake for even ten minutes.

Grumbling with her head still on the table and paper in her face, Yein was so tempted to roll over onto her bed that was just beside her study table. But she knew she had to turn the lights off for she didn't want to risk bursting her electrical bill.

//

"Yein ah!!!"

Yein stuffed the meat she had picked up with her chopsticks into her mouth. Raising her other hand to say 'hi', she watched as Mijoo strutted towards her and Jiyeon. She wasn't alone, for a short while after, Jimin and Jungkook took a seat with their trays with the latter mumbling about why they should sit here and not elsewhere instead.

"You're joining us today too right?" Jimin asked after he had politely greeted Jiyeon.

"Mmm... I haven't decided if I'll join your club," Yein answered. It had been a week since that first dance practice and with school workload increasing, she didn't know if she'd be able to commit to Revolution. After all, the advance group in Revolution had practice thrice a week.

"Ehhhh! No way, you've gotta come," Mijoo immediately retaliated and began to force cutesy whines in an attempt to annoy Yein.

"If it's about workload, you can ask Jungkook," Jimin said innocently. "He's in mech engineering too and since he's a year older, he'd have studied what you're learning-- _oww_!"

He stopped when he felt Jungkook pinch his arm. Turning to his friend, he mouthed 'what', to which the younger one simply turned away and continued eating.

"Maybe you can join them for a week and then decide?" Jiyeon suggested.

Everyone turned to look at her surprised, for they were not expecting her to speak up about the matter at all. "Ah, but only if they are okay with it," she continued, gesturing towards the dancers.

"Totally cool," Jimin and Mijoo answered before Yein could say a word, hoping she would be agreeable to it.

Thinking for a while, Yein ended up nodding her head in agreement. "I guess I'll try that out then. But if I decide to drop it, don't pester me about it, okay?"

"Okay!" both of them saluted her while the last one cleared his plate and stood up.

"I'll head off first."

"Wait, what?! Jungkook! Your class isn't in another hour!"

"Library," he said curtly as he gave a short wave, not bothering to turn around to look back.

Yein focused back on her food but she couldn't shake off the feeling. Looking up from her tray, she asked, "um, does Jungkook sunbaenim have something against me?"

"Nah," Jimin shook his head. "He's pretty much like that to people he doesn't really know, especially girls. But when he gets to know you, it should get better."

_I wonder if that's the case._

//

Yein walked into the empty lecture theatre and turned on the lights. She was half an hour early and no one really comes in so early for it was after lunch hour.

Heading towards her usual spot, which was the corner seat at the fifth row on the right, she placed her things down and took out her laptop. Pulling out her notebook for the subject, Yein silently worked.

In no time, the class began and before it ended, Professor Kang announced the group assignment. "I'll leave the groupings freely up to you but just make sure you submit your members' names to me via email."

"Yein ssi!"

Yein momentarily stopped packing her things. Looking towards the direction of the call, she was confused as to why that person would have called her. Proceeding to resume her packing, the person, whom she knew was a second year, slid into the seat beside her.

"Yein ssi, shall we group together?" Mijung asked. "You're not in a group yet right?"

"Uh..." Yein glanced around. Students had gradually formed their groups while she was busy packing. To make matters worse, this was an elective where she didn't have any friends so it wasn't surprising how she didn't have a group yet.

_I guess I don't have much of a choice._

"Thanks for asking, I'll--"

"Yein," a low and rather unfamiliar voice called out.

Yein watched in bewilderment as Jungkook walked down the theatre steps towards them. It was the first time she heard his voice loud and clear for all the past occasions were mumbles that she could hardly catch.

"Sorry Mijung. She's with us."

Yein swore she could hear Mijung click her tongue in frustration and even though the girl was back-facing her, she was sure that girl was rolling her eyes.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to join us?" Jungkook asked as he used his head to gesture towards his group.

"Ah. Uh. Yeah. Coming," Yein stuttered. Fumbling to pick up her bag, she hugged her laptop and bowed at Mijung and her group before scurrying towards Jungkook.

Following Jungkook to his group, she was warmly greeted by his friends with smiles. They were all second years – political science major Mingyu, Jangjun who was training to be a PE teacher and Solbin, an architecture student.

"Yein ah, you gotta be carefully of Mijung," Mingyu whispered. "She always finds the hardworking kid and leeches off for group assignments."

Jangjun nodded and placed a hand on Jungkook's shoulder, "our Jungkook sure saved you."

"Ah, is that so. Thank you very much for letting me in on this group."

"It's just a small thing! And finally I'm not the only girl in the group!" Solbin squealed. "Let's get along!"

Breaking into a bright smile, Yein nodded, "yes, let's!"


	5. unusual

_"Do things for people not because of_   
_who they are or what they do in return,_   
_but because of who you are"_   
_Harold S. Kushner_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Frantically keeping her class materials, Yein bundled them into her arms and called out to Eunseo and Youngtaek, "I've got to rush off! See you tomorrow!"

"Okay! See you!"

She had just finished the class of one of her core modules for the semester and because her professor decided to overrun class by forty-five minutes (yes, a full forty-five minutes), she was now late for her group meeting for her elective class. She still had to grab dinner.

_Argh. Forget dinner._ _No time for that._

Yein was feeling especially more stressed because it was in this elective that she was grouped with people that she knew were nice, and hence, she wanted to be of much help to them. They have had a couple of meetings so far and she was still feeling that she had trouble fitting in.

In so much of a hurry, Yein ended up tripping over her own foot, dropping her books in the process. Rebuking herself internally, she bent down and began picking them up. Thankfully her laptop was safe for she had held it tightly enough.

"You can slow down, you know."

Raising her head, her gaze followed the book a metre away travel from the floor and into someone's arms. Jeon Jungkook's. He was bent down as well, helping her retrieve her fallen books.

"And aren't you carrying too many things in your hands?"

"Ah, I had a full day of classes so I didn't have time to go back and forth from hostel."

Yein stood up and reached her hands outward, wanting to take her books from him but Jungkook shook his head. He turned on his heels and began walking ahead, cradling them in his arms.

"Does that mean you haven't eaten?"

Yein pressed her lips together and remained silent for a while, hesitant to answer because while she very much wanted to lie, she knew he'd probably realise that it wasn't the truth either way.

"Mmm, I haven't," Yein answered slowly. "Last meal was lunch at twelve thirty."

Jungkook looked at her with an expression she understood as shock even though it wasn't so obvious because he was still kind of emotionless. "Even though it's already seven thirty?! Aren't you hungry?"

Shrugging, she replied with a pained smile as if to say that it couldn't be helped. Typically one could snack in class but her professors were pretty strict. Her friends, Eunseo and Youngtaek, and herself, gobbled down some biscuits between classes, banking on them to last the day.

"Then I guess we can't meet in the library."

Yein's jaw dropped open. She didn't want to be a burden and yet here they were, considering that they couldn't meet in the library.

"The cafeteria would be too noisy..." Jungkook began verbalising his thoughts. "I guess we could use one of the meeting rooms around Solbin's archi studio. We can takeaway or order in some food too."

Turning his head back to look at Yein, Jungkook asked, "that's okay, right?"

She shut her mouth and nodded. She so badly wanted to shrink and disappear right there and then. The elevator dinged open and as the both of them got in, Jungkook pulled out his phone to send a text to inform the others.

//

"Uwah!!" Solbin and Jangjun leaned back in their chairs to stretch.

"That's a wrap!" Mingyu happily saved the document and closed his laptop. "Good job everyone."

Yein, too, stretched out her legs, feeling her body was dead stiff from sitting for so long. They had been at their assignment for more than four hours and at last they were done.

To be honest, she was feeling a little sad. It was a lot of fun working with them and they were extremely accommodating. To think that the group assignment had come to an end made her somewhat disappointed that they wouldn't have a reason to meet anymore.

"This probably isn't the end though. You know how Prof Kang loves to give out group assignments."

Yein's ears perked up upon hearing that information. Feeling relieved, she smiled. "At least it's fun to work with you guys," she unknowingly expressed her thoughts aloud.

"Aww Yein!" all of them said (with the exception of Jungkook, of course).

"I love working with you too!" Solbin piped gleefully and playfully gave her a hug.

"Alright alright. Let's call it a day," Jungkook interrupted as he led them to begin packing up.

//

As they waved goodbye to the others who stayed in a different block, Jungkook and Yein continued towards their hostel.

She had only recently found out that Jungkook stayed in her block and was actually Taehyung's roommate. She assumed otherwise when she didn't see him at their block orientation, to which he said he couldn't be bothered to attend.

Trailing behind him, Yein had her eyes fixed on her shoes. Even though it wasn't the first time they were walking together, she still had difficulty getting used to it. After all, she had that gut feeling from before that she couldn't shake off. It didn't help that he was presently helping her carry half of her mountain of books.

The sound of the shuffling of his footsteps gradually faded away, causing her to pause and look up. They had reached the lift, which came almost immediately.

When the elevator doors opened at the fourth floor, Yein turned to Jungkook. But before she could ask him to hand the books to her, he walked out of the lift.

Puzzled, she quickly went after him.

"Um, sunbae, you can just pass me the books..."

Stopping in his tracks, Jungkook didn't say anything but instead gestured her to walk forward. He didn't know which was her room. Giving in with a muted whine, Yein passed him and headed towards her room.

Yein fumbled for her card and scanned the door. Hurriedly kicking her shoes off, she dumped the things in her hand on her bed (which was nearest to the door) while keeping her leg extended to prevent the door from closing. Spinning around, she held her hands outstretched as Jungkook handed her the remaining books.

Books in hand and backpack still carried, she leaned against the door to hold it open. Giving a short bow, she thanked him.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"Nah, it's okay," Jungkook replied. He gave a small wave and turned to leave.

"Oh Jungkook?" someone called from the corridor.

Poking her head out of her room with her books still in hand (oh come on Yein, you can put them down already), she saw from afar, Sujeong and Taehyung walking towards her room. Dropping the books onto the bed together with the rest, she put down her backpack and used it as a door stopper.

Peeking out again, she excitedly waved to her next door neighbour (and her _maybe_ boyfriend). After which, she began sorting out the mess on her bed, uninterested and not bothered by what could have possibly been going on outside along the corridor.

//

"Why are you here?" both Sujeong and Taehyung questioned Jungkook.

"We just finished out assignment meeting," he answered.

It was an answer but evidently, both his friends were not satisfied. Because obviously, even though they had just finished a meeting, there was no reason for Jungkook to _send_ Yein back to her doorstep.

"And?" Sujeong emphasised curiously, arms folded.

Not seeming to get her hint, Jungkook replied casually, "she had a lot of stuff to carry so I just helped her back."

"Ahhh..." she eyed him suspiciously.

"Enough Jeong," Taehyung nudged her. "I'll head back with Jungkook."

"Fineee. See ya."


	6. unaware

_"People have motives and thoughts_  
_of which they are unaware."_  
_Albert Ellis_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So why were you on the fourth floor?"

Jungkook looked at Taehyung with a puzzled expression. He had just come back from his shower and with his towel still over his head, was about to get to work. Plopping down on his bed by the study table, he started setting up his laptop.

"Like I said, she had a lot of things to carry. And since we're in the same block, it's not a hassle to stop by a different floor."

"Hmm," Taehyung hummed as he nodded his head. "But you usually can't be bothered about these kind of things."

Still busy taking his notes and papers out, Jungkook asked, "what do you mean?"

Jumping off his bed, Taehyung scrambled over and dived onto his friend's bed. In response, Jungkook simply stood up and moved over to his chair, unfazed. Opening his laptop, he began to access his course website for the work he needed to do.

Propping his head up on his hand, the older boy laid sideways, staring at Jungkook.

"Jungkook ah."

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of Yein?"

"Huh?" He continued typing away at his keyboard. "I don't really get where this is going."

Heaving a sigh, Taehyung tried to think of the best way to get through to his friend who more often than not, had trouble expressing himself. It resulted in several failed attempts to get him attached (where Taehyung and Sujeong had been actively trying to hook him up with their friends).

"You weren't very nice to her in the beginning, right?"

Spending a short moment to think, he nodded, "yeah, I wasn't."

"Why was that so?"

Jungkook stopped clicking his mouse. He tried to recall back when he first met her and why he was so reserved when he first knew she was Sujeong's neighbour. When she began hanging out with his friends more, the feeling slowly went away.

Giving a shrug, he went back to his computer. "I don't know. Maybe because she doesn't remember?"

Taehyung sprung up. "Remember what?"

_The auditorium resounded in a loud applause. Numerous students and excited parents filled the place. Jungkook wasn't part of the crowd. Instead, he was backstage in his performance outfit feeling slightly nervous._

_Fumbling to open the water bottle, he ended up dropping it. As he bent down to pick it up, a small hand intercepted. As the bottle released a snapping sound from being opened, the person whom the small hands belonged to, handed it to him._

_"Take a few deep breaths to relax. You'll be fine." The girl flashed a kind smile before turning to go for it was her turn to go on stage._

_He watched as the curls in hair bobbed gently with each step she took. He could tell they had been artificially curled for he recognised her to always have had rather straight hair. The white satin of her costume swayed and danced with each movement she made, and was even more beautiful when she performed._

_Looking at the bottle in his hand, he smiled as he placed it on the table. Taking a deep breath before walking to the stage, he told himself quietly, "it's the last performance. You'll do fine."_

"You were mad that she didn't recognise you?"

"Mad? No I wasn't!" Jungkook retorted.

"Hehh. So you two met before. But she doesn't recall."

"Mmm. I guess so."

"Is that why she bothers you?"

At Jungook's raised eyebrow, Taehyung continued, "y'know, makes you wanna help her, take care of her."

Taehyung would have wanted to use the word 'interest' but he knew Jungkook would refute it, insisting he wasn't interested in Yein. _Sometimes you need to spell it out for him and yet you can't._

Tilting his head from one side to the other as he thought, Jungkook eventually answered, "I'm not sure. Maybe?"

"Okay, got it," Taehyung said as he got off the bed. "I'm heading to Sujeong's."

Giving him a face, Jungkook asked, "weren't y'all together _just_ now?!"

All he got was a flashy smile and subsequently, a closed door.

Rolling his eyes, Jungkook sighed and shifted his attention back to his work.

//

_Knock knock._

Sujeong raised her head at the sound of someone at the door. Slightly annoyed for she was in the midst of studying, she got up to open it. Upon seeing who was at her doorstep, she let out a huge sigh.

"Why are _you_ here? I told you I have to study!"

Raising his hands defensively, he apologised. "I came cause I think you'd like to hear what I'm going to tell you." Pointing at her books, he asked, "or would you like to continue studying instead?"

Looking from Taehyung to her books, back to him and then to her books. Sujeong groaned in frustration as she pointed at him and said firmly, "you have five minutes."

"Call." _(A/N: They like to say 'call' in Korea but if you want it to be English, 'deal' is actually what it means.)_

Sitting on the floor while Sujeong sat on her bed, Taehyung started, "there's a high chance that Jungkook is interested in Yein--. Wait scrape that. There is a high chance he _could_ be interested in Yein."

Scrunching up her face, she asked, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, he seems to be caring about her more."

"Because he helped her carry her stuff today?"

"More than that. You remember what Mingyu told you? About how Jungkook asked Yein to be in their group assignment?"

Sujeong nodded. "True. That was the most suspicious one so far. A typical Jungkook wouldn't care."

"Plus," Taehyung whispered and leaned forward. "They met before. In high school."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, he remembers her but Yein doesn't seem to recall."

Making a face, Sujeong sighed, "I can totally see that coming from Yein, she _is_ extremely blur and oblivious." Turning back to face him, she questioned, "so?"

"So... we should help them."

"But we don't know how Yein feels."

"And that's what you should find out."

Snapping her fingers, she accepted the challenge and they both had a rather creepy smile on their faces.


	7. unexpected

_"Life is crazy, unexpected,_  
_and endlessly beautiful."_  
_Daniel Wallock_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yein let her legs give way and crashed on the floor beside her belongings. Clumsily unscrewing her bottle, she began to hydrate herself. Today's practice was especially hard. So much that she could feel a cramp coming in her calves. Stretching out her legs, she tried to loosen the muscles by leaning forward.

"Gather around," she heard Howon ssaem instruct. "You can bring your bottles. Just gather around."

Howon ssaem was the club's dance instructor. He, himself, used to dance in the club when he was on campus. Yein found it amazing how he was able to balance his full time job with his coaching commitments.

"You know Seoul Dance Festival is coming up right?"

Everyone nodded.

Seoul Mega Dance Festival. Yein had heard from Mijoo and Jimin (who gave an extremely detail explanation that tired her out). It was firstly, a festival held annually. And secondly, it was a well-known competition that many crews auditioned for. There were three rounds of auditions where the first was a video to be sent to the organisers, while the second and third were real performances in front of at least three judges.

Revolution had qualified for the festival since the club's formation and remained in the top three spots for the last five years despite the harsh competitors that emerged each year.

"What we learnt today is a snippet of our competition routine. And as much as I have choreographed solos, you all know I can't have a solo for everyone."

"It'll be just as competitive and even if you get selected, you can be dropped anytime once you don't perform. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Jimin, explain."

"Yes," Jimin stood up and continued from where Howon ssaem left off.

"As our usual practice, Howon ssaem will select at least two people for each solo or two pairs, in the case of a duet. You will practice your parts and there will be an audition to see who gets the position. This is so that we'll have substitutes if there's an injury or if the selected one doesn't perform well."

Howon ssaem concluded, "so make sure you don't slack off on your parts because every single person plays an important role in the whole picture. Okay?"

"Yes."

"I'll announce the positions then." Howon ssaem took out his clipboard and began reading out from a list.

As he read, Yein, feeling low on sugar, began to zone out. She didn't really bother to pay attention because being a freshman, there was a really low chance in being chosen. Furthermore, there were a lot of good dancers in Revolution. Yein looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her bottle.

"... and Yein."

Yein lifted her head up so suddenly and quickly that she could have snapped her neck. She immediately regretted doing so as she could feel hard stares from her seniors. Although some were genuinely happy-for-her kind of stare, there were also some how-can-a-she-get-selected stare.

Folding her lips nervously, Yein dropped her gaze and wished for it to all end soon.

Her ordeal finally ended after a grueling fifteen minutes of Howon ssaem and Jimin talking and explaining about what needed to be done till the next practice.

"Yein!!!" Mijoo pounced on her, wrapping her slender arms around her. Ruffling the younger one's hair, she congratulated her for getting selected.

Standing up, Jimin asked, "are y'all up for supper? I'm starving."

"Let's order in," Mijoo suggested. With Yein still in her arms, she asked, "you wanna eat too?"

Weighing the things she needed to do and her stomach that was in need for some sugar and food, Yein ultimately nodded her head. She was feeling rather weak after using up so much energy on dance.

As Yein slung her bag over her shoulder, she recalled what happened a while ago. Feeling uneasy, her hands gripped the strap of her crossbody bag.

_While she had gone to get her bag right after Howon ssaem announced the end of practice, someone bumped into her from behind, causing her to stumble forward. Keeping her head hung low, she heard the girl say curtly, "I don't get why Howon ssaem would pick her."_

_Another girl's voice was heard agreeing, "yeah, you'd have been a much better choice."_

_Yein stood frozen. It was fairly normal for people to get upset, especially for a senior towards a junior who had gotten a spot. It was something she had gone through while in art school and yet it was never really something she could learn to adapt to._

_She didn't understand though, as to why the senior was so upset since every single member in Revolution were part of the competition team. It's not like I got a great solo part right. It's just a small portion of the routine._

A cough snapped Yein back to reality.

"What are you doing? We're leaving," Jungkook gazed at her with his head craned to the side, as if he was wondering what she was thinking about.

Seeing how she looked down, he lightly knocked her head, causing her eyes to squeeze shut as a form of reflex.

"You can't be so distracted. We've got a lot to work on."

"A lot to work on?" Yein frowned puzzledly. _We?_

Looking at her as if she wasn't making any sense, Jungkook replied, "we're partnered for the duet portion, miss."

As Jungkook turned around and followed after Jimin and Mijoo, Yein remained rooted to the ground as everything suddenly began to make sense to her. She was paired up with Jungkook for the duet portion. And that was why she was receiving more hate from the other girls.

_What. The. Heck?_


	8. practice

_"Do your practice and all is coming."_   
_K. Pattabhi Jois_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A head bopped to the rhythm of a song while the owner's pair of eyes were fixed on the thick textbook in front of her. She had a pen in hand that was busy scribbling away, with the other occasionally pushing her glasses up in which it was resting loosely on her nose.

A loud continuous vibration snapped Yein out of her study mode. Checking her mobile, she saw an incoming call from Mijoo.

 _"YAH JUNG YEIN!"_ Mijoo screamed the instant the call connected, causing Yein to winced and pull the phone away from her ear.

Still in a rather loud voice, Mijoo continued, _"didn't we agree to meet at five?"_

Glancing quickly at the digital clock at the corner of her laptop, Yein's gasped. It was already five fifteen. Jumping out of her chair, she frantically dashed across her bed to the wardrobe.

"Sorry sorry sorry! I totally lost track of time!"

_"You owe us one."_

"Right, owe you one. I'll be there real quick."

Dropping her phone on her bed, Yein changed to her dance attire and hurriedly grabbed her essentials. Shoving them into her bag, she quickly slung it over and ran out of the room.

//

A door beeped open, causing the occupants within to pause and look up. The dance studio door was pushed open to reveal a heavily panting Yein, looking fairly dishevelled from the sprint.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Yein said breathlessly, raising one hand up as a gesture of apologising.

"Dinner's on you!" Mijoo said gleefully as she sent a flying kiss to Yein.

Yein winced, "dinner?!"

"Eyy, a drink's fine," Jimin smiled. "Or dessert..."

Yein nodded, "alright, later. I promise."

Tossing her bag to the side of the studio, Yein began stretching out her muscles. She was trying to warm up faster for she felt really bad for being late. Eyeing Jungkook, she tried to see if he showed any signs of annoyance for her tardiness.

Jungkook had his earpiece plugged in and eyes fixed on his phone. He was watching the practice video that Howon ssaem had sent to them. Walking briskly over towards him, Yein gently tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

Nervously playing with her fingers behind her back, she said softly, "I'm good to start."

He turned to face her and as much as Yein has been spending slightly more time with him these few weeks, she still couldn't read his expression. Was he upset she was late? Was he angry? Was he thinking that she had wasted his time waiting? She couldn't tell as all his face had was a blank look – that which he always seemed to have.

Yein looked at him, eyes wide with question to which Jungkook simply shook his head and replied, "just go and warm up properly. We can start in ten."

Pulling at the corners of her mouth, Yein folded her lips in and eeked out a quiet 'okay'. Shuffling her feet lightly to the side, she began to properly stretch out and warm up her body that had been stiff from all the studying she was doing.

Within the ten minutes that she spent warming up, she saw Mijoo and Jimin start practising their individual solo items. Since everyone's part was a different segment of the performance song, they took a corner each, such that the music wouldn't be too distracting.

Finally knowing her body was warmed up well, Yein stood up and got Jungkook's attention by waving to him in his line of sight. Pulling out his earpiece, he sauntered over and placed his stuff down on the floor in front of the mirror.

"You remember the moves?" asked Jungkook.

"Yeah, most of it. Just not so sure about the spinning part because I can't do it alone," Yein answered meekly.

He looked at her in surprise, "you tried it on your own?"

"Whatever my room space could offer, yes." Yein chuckled, recalling the numerous crashing and bumping she had suffered while practising in her room; she kicked the bed frame so many times she lost count.

Seeing how she laughed, Jungkook knew she was no longer nervous and he couldn't help but laugh along with her, or rather, _at_ her funny antics.

"Then we shouldn't have so much of an issue, I guess," Jungkook said with a smile.

Yein froze.

It would be a lie to claim that Yein had never seen him laugh. She had. But the rare times she had seen him laugh was when he was with his friends, talking about something she couldn't hear because she was a distance away.

Jungkook did have a beautiful expression whenever he smiled widely or laughed genuinely. (Well, he did have a beautiful face to begin with, to Yein's understanding.) But it wasn't the beauty of it that mattered, it just made Yein wonder if he didn't laugh or smile at her for a reason. Now that it happened, she was startled.

"Shall we begin?"

Pulled back to reality, Yein agreed with a yelp and scurried into position.

//

"Five, six, bam, bam, bam and end."

Jungkook and Yein immediately separated as the latter asked worriedly, "sorry for that catch just now. Are you okay?"

He shook his head, "which catch? It was okay though."

A loud series of claps interrupted them as Mijoo and Jimin walked over exclaiming, "wow, you guys are mad. It's pretty much perfect already."

Shaking her head, Yein said, "nah, I made a lot of mistakes."

It was already coming close to seven and they had to leave the studio soon for another club had booked the place after them. Drowning herself thirstily with water from her bottle, she began packing her things with her other free hand.

Seeing a shadow coming over her, Yein looked up to see Jungkook stooping down beside her. As her eyes followed his movement, she waited attentively to what he wanted to say.

"About the spinning and catching parts," Jungkook started while Yein nodded in response. "When we don't have the studio, we can practice along the hallway at Block C2. There's a glass with pretty good reflection and no one really passes there."

"Ah okay! We just ample space and a place to see our reflection."

After a brief moment of silence, he added, "so don't practice in your room. You'll only get bruises." He pointed at her leg where there were light visible bruises from bumping into the bed frame.

Quickly using her bag to cover her ankles, she replied, "I'll just be more careful."

"Just don't get injured."


	9. change

_"The 3 C's of Life: Choices, Chances, Changes._   
_You must make a choice to take the chance_   
_or your life will never change."_   
_Zig Ziglar_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Unni ah."

"Hmm?"

Instead of answering, Yein rolled over to the other side. She was taking a break from her assignments and was lazing around in Sujeong's room. Sujeong, on the other hand, was busy finishing up her own work.

"What is it, Yein?" Sujeong asked without looking up from her book.

"Mmm..."

Yein rolled back to face Sujeong. "Does Jungkook hate me?"

Sujeong stopped writing and jerked her head to the side to look at Yein. She had quite a complex expression that Yein couldn't understand. It was actually a mixture of amusement and excitement – amusement from how Yein would think this way and excitement from the fact that Yein was worried about it.

"Why do you think so?"

Yein frowned as she began to recount to Sujeong all the occasions where Jungkook showed a clear sign of his distaste towards her. The way he spoke to her, the way he looked at her, and all the other times where he ignored her.

"You do know Jungkook isn't an outright friendly guy right?"

"Uh huh."

"So you do know how all that you've just said he has done doesn't mean he hates you?"

Pouting, Yein retorted, "but it just seems the case!"

"But Yein ah." Sujeong turned her whole body to face her friend. "Why are you affected by whether Jungkook hates you or not?"

Thinking for a while, Yein answered, "because I see him so often."

Lifting her hand, she began to count with her fingers. "We're in the same group for our elective, we're both in Revolution, we are partnered for the duet part in our upcoming competition." Looking at Sujeong, she ended, "and we have the same group of friends in our hostel block."

"Hmmm, now that you mention it, that's true," nodded Sujeong. "But if he hates you, wouldn't he find ways to _not_ see you? Right?"

"True..."

Sujeong tried to hide her smile as she watched her little friend wriggle around in frustration. She found it hilarious how Yein and Jungkook were so dense and clueless about their own increasing interest in the other party that she wished she could just set them up for good.

Guess it's valid when they say that couples end up becoming like each other for Sujeong was evidently becoming more like Taehyung, or maybe Taehyung was becoming like her. Although no one really knew the status of their relationship.

Her wish seemed to have worked as her phone began ringing.

"Hello oppa?"

_"Whatcha doing?"_

"Studying. Yein's here chilling in my room."

_"Yein? Awesomeee. Let's go for a ride. Yein too."_

"Ride? Now?" Sujeong was about to decline the offer for it was pretty late and she still had work to do. But looking at Yein gave her a cheeky idea. "With who?"

_"Duh. Me and Jungkook. That's why I said awesome when I heard Yein's there."_

"Man Tae, you're the awesome one. We'll be down in a jiffy!"

_"Gotcha, see you soon hun."_

Sujeong rolled her eyes at the last word but excitedly called out to Yein. She instructed the still whining Yein to get changed into comfortable clothes (preferably long pants and a sweater, she had said).

"I don't get why you're asking me to change. Are we going somewhere?" Yein asked while taking the black sweater that Sujeong held out to her.

She had a pair of grey joggers and a t-shirt on. After pulling the hooded sweater over her head, she proceeded to wear her socks and put on her black and white trainers. Unsure of what she should be bringing, she ended up bringing only her phone and wallet.

"So aren't you gonna tell me where we're going?" Yein pestered, shoving her hands in the pockets of her sweater.

"Shush. Stop asking, you'll find out soon."

Sujeong herself had changed into a black pair slacks and thrown on her dark blue hoodie. She smiled cheekily when she saw Taehyung with Jungook, leaning against their bikes. Quickening her pace, Yein followed suit, unaware of what was going on.

Over at the other side, Jungkook had no idea either. He simply thought he was going to be third-wheeling Taehyung and Sujeong's date and he was fine with it for he had been in that position for as long as he could remember.

"Sorry to keep y'all waiting!"

"You're finally here!" Taehyung smiled as he handed Sujeong his spare helmet. "Jungkook, get your spare for Yein."

"HUH?!" both Jungkook and Yein exclaimed in sync.

"Wait, unni. Huh? Eh?"

Taehyung burst out laughing at how Yein expressed her shock and confusion. Gently pushing her towards Jungkook, he told her, "we're just going for a ride. Gonna grab some food and chill. It's fun."

Yein watched as Taehyung and Sujeong fastened their helmets and mounted up on Taehyung's bike. Startled when a helmet appeared in front of her, she looked up at Jungkook, confusion still plastered on her face.

"Since you're already here, why not just come along? It's really refreshing."

"Plus I'm a fairly good rider."

"That isn't very convincing, coming from the rider himself," responded Yein as she took the helmet from him and fitted it over her head.

Seeing how she had trouble fastening the strap of the helmet, Jungkook chuckled before reaching forward to take it from her hands. Explaining patiently, he taught her how to fasten it and went on to put his helmet over, securing it well.

"I assume it's your first time on a bike?"

Yein nodded. She had a serious look as she surveyed his bike. Jungkook had gone from leaning against the bike when they first met to now saddled in comfortably. Although the bike was rather large, his legs were long enough to reach the ground which Yein assured herself that it should mean a stable ride.

Using his left foot to tap a foot ledge behind his own, he instructed her to step on it and bring her other leg over. Noticing her hesitance, Jungkook tapped his left shoulder with his right hand and said, "you can use my shoulder."

With eyes that seemed much like a child trying out something new, Yein placed her hand on Jungkook's shoulder, stepped on the ledge and swung her other leg over.

Now seated right behind Jungkook, Yein felt her heart race. Though the two of them have danced together, causing them to be really close where he was practically hugging her in their routine, Yein was always the one in front. She had never noticed Jungkook from the back before.

His shoulders were a lot wider than she remembered they were, and they were also a lot higher. Her line of sight was basically his shoulders and back. If she craned her neck a little, she'd be able to see what's in front. Not knowing what to do with her hands, she awkwardly placed them in front of her, as if in an attempt to create distance between Jungkook and herself.

Turning his body halfway, Jungkook asked, "are you scared?"

Yein blinked a couple of times before answering, "uh, maybe?"

Chuckling, he pointed at his waist. "It's safer if you hold me."

_Hold what?!_

Reaching behind, Jungkook took her hands and brought it around his waist. The sudden contact made Yein immediately ball up her hands into fists. So it resulted in her arms around his waist while her fists were about a hand's length away from each other. Any closer would mean she was hugging him.

As much as Jungkook wanted to tell her to relax, he knew she probably couldn't. He himself was feeling a little nervous, something he hardly ever felt.

"Just enjoy the ride and the view."

Jungkook started the engine and they rode off into the night.


	10. connect, re-connect

_"Happiness is when you_   
_make unexpected new friends."_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yein had to admit, riding was pretty fun.

She wasn't so sure how long they'd been riding. Has it been fifteen minutes? Half an hour? She didn't know. All she did know was she was enjoying it, more than she expected.

She knew in first five minutes, she was still stiff from being nervous and maybe somewhat shy. After that five minutes, she began to relax, opening her fists and gradually holding onto Jungkook's waist more naturally.

"Having fun?" asked Jungkook.

Seeing how there was no reply, he realised she couldn't hear him. They were on the road after all.

"HAVING FUN?" Jungkook shouted.

"YES. IT'S FUN!"

He heard Yein's excited laughter despite the wind muffling up most of it. Jungkook did notice how much more comfortable she had been for though she didn't shift much in the seat, she did hold him more confidently. Only at the turns did he feel her tense up because it was agreeably scary when Jungkook had to lean the bike at an angle.

"ARE WE MEETING SUJEONG AND TAEHYUNG?"

"I ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!"

"WHAT?!"

Jungkook and Yein eventually stopped somewhere along the road where there was a night snack stand operating. The stall didn't have seats so they took away two sticks of dakkochi and a large portion of ddeokbokki to share. Finding a good, quiet place to sit, they began digging in.

"It's the Han River!" Yein exclaimed gleefully while taking a bite of her chicken skewer.

"It's nice, isn't it. The night view at this spot."

"You sound as if you come here often," commented Yein as she took a side glance at him before directing her gaze to the ddeokbokki, helping herself to some.

"I guess you could say that."

Leaning back with his hands supporting him, he looked at the numerous buildings against the vast night sky. The spot they were at had lesser lights compared to the other areas, allowing the stars to come into sight.

It was true that he came here often. In fact, it was like his special place where he only ever went to alone. Though Taehyung knew the existence of this place, he had never brought him here.

"It's a beautiful place. I like that it's unlike all the noisy bustling despite being in the city," Yein said, popping another ddeokbokki into her mouth.

Glancing over at her, Jungkook had a sudden urge to ask what he had been wondering for the past months. Fighting against his usual resistance, he finally blurted out, "do you remember?"

"Hmm?"

"We met before."

Staring at him wide-eyed, Yein thought hard but couldn't seem to recall meeting him before. "Have we?"

"Ah!" Jungkook looked expectantly at her when she exclaimed.

"At the clubs exhibition! I was at your club booth and you were there! Ah wait, but that doesn't count as a meeting, does it?" Yein placed one hand on her chin in an action of thinking.

"Uh yeah. When I said before, I meant like, before college."

"Really?"

Jungkook nodded, feeling slightly disappointed by her forgetfulness. But if he actually knew what Yein was like, just as how Sujeong had predicted, she was just a really clueless child who lived in the moment more than the past.

"I'm sorry I don't know. We met before?"

"The year I graduated from Cheon Ha. At the graduation ceremony.

"Means I was in second year of high school..."

"You helped me open a bottle of water because I was too nervous to do so myself," he mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

"Ah..."

"AHHH!" Yein reeled backwards with a hand over her mouth.

Pointing at him, she rambled upon the retrieval of the memory deep within her brain, "the golden performance! Golden Kookie! You're the guy who was good at everything! Crap, the girls were _always_ talking about you. They'd just go Kookie this and Kookie that."

Stopping to catch her breath, Yein turned to him and exclaimed, "so _you_ were that guy!"

During Yein's rapid fire outburst, Jungkook had his eyebrows raised in amusement and eyes fixed on her animated gestures. It was not that she was a quiet mild child. He had seen her loud and playful self with Sujeong and Mijoo but he had never seen her like this – exasperated and candid.

When she finished her string of words, he, while maintaining eye contact with her, barely hid his smile as he questioned, "golden Kookie?"

"That's what they called you."

"They?"

"Mhm. My friends."

"You?"

Tilting her head, she answered, "I guess I called you that too? Cause I never knew your name."

"You didn't?!"

Yein's nod made Jungkook realise how unpredictable she was. First, she didn't remember who he was and now, he found out that she never knew his name to begin with.

After a brief moment, he said, "but now you do."

Yein chuckled, "aye, that's right. Now I do. Jeon Jungkook."

 _Jeon Jungkook._ Jungkook liked how it sounded for some apparent reason. A name was just a name but with it being said by Yein, it sounded oddly satisfying. He attributed it to the fact that he had never heard her call him by name before. She always addressed him as simply 'sunbae', nothing more, nothing less.

Suddenly bursting into a series of giggles, Yein had to cover her face with her hands to control herself while Jungkook looked on in confusion.

In between her hiccups of laughter, she said, "you... you were so... stiff that you were like a robot..."

Jungkook, who was listening intently, rolled his eyes at her statement. It wasn't a memory he wanted to recall because it was embarrassing – the all confident person was such a nervous wreck back then.

But Yein wasn't done. She continued, "I thought you'd screw up on stage but you did amazing."

She then raised her hands to her face and used her fingers to wipe the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She remembered how he walked like a block and how his hands shook so much, he dropped the bottle.

"Of course," Jungkook said as he leaned forward to prop his head on his fist with his elbow resting on his knee. "I am amazing."

Yein faked a cough. "Excuse me?!"

"Why? Are you gonna say otherwise?"

"Not that I can. It's true you were pretty great--"

Jungkook puffed up in pride.

"-- _then._ "

Deflating, Jungkook glared at Yein while she burst out in laughter. Somehow the glare seemed different this time round. She didn't seem to feel any ill intent in his glare; it was more playful and joking.

They carried on their conversation, with petty banter thrown in and new discoveries about each other. For the first time, Yein felt comfortable with him while Jungkook was unaware of how much he had opened up to her; Yein's previous he-hates-me thoughts disappeared while Jungkook's gazes at her were evidently getting longer each time.

"By the way,"

"Yeah?"

"Just call me Jungkook."


	11. butterflies

_"Step into this experience with butterflies_   
_in your bones; with a nervous feeling so beautiful,_   
_you know you're doing something right."_   
_D. Antoinette Foy_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Eventually getting up to head back to school, Yein belatedly realised while they didn't contact Taehyung and Sujeong, their two friends didn't do so either. As she wondered how they were, Jungkook brushed it aside, saying they probably were enjoying their own couple time somewhere.

The talk led to the topic about whether they were a couple or not, since the two of them often said they were not attached.

Yein insisted they were but Jungkook stood by his opinion that they were at the stage where they didn't want to commit to any responsibility or unwanted expectations and hence were not a couple.

Noting that he seemed to understand them really well, Jungkook just stated in a as-a-matter-of-fact tone that he had been with them for more than a year after all. "I practically saw them from day one till now," he said.

Squeezing her head into the helmet, Yein successfully fastened the buckle and beamed proudly. With a smile, Jungkook tapped his shoulder and she mounted onto the bike safely.

With her hands placed carefully by the side of his waist, Yein grabbed onto his jacket, scrunching up the fabric. It felt a little difficult to bring her hands back to the previous position because as much as she knew she should, she felt like it was too daring of her to do so.

Jungkook poked her hands with his fingers, causing her to loosen her grasp. And the moment she did, he gently took her hands and brought it around his waist like before.

 _As I thought. This is a bit too much for me to handle._ Yein silently squeezed eyes shut at the situation and squirmed inside her head.

The ride back seemed more therapeutic with the night air feeling more chilly as well. Gazing up to the sky, Yein wondered if it was going to rain. She could faintly smell the chance of a shower.

And as if she was a weather girl, it began to rain down on them.

Thankfully they were off the expressway and Jungkook was able to stop by a cafe. Piling off the bike, they hurried under the shelter there, drenched and slightly dripping.

Jungkook took off his helmet and seeing that Yein was struggling with hers, he decided to give her hand. Removing the helmet, he couldn't help but laugh at her state. The helmet kept part of her hair dry but the ends that weren't, were a tangled mess because of the wind and rain.

Without thinking, he reached out his hand to smoothen her hair while saying, "your hair's a total mess."

Realising what he had just done, Jungkook jerked his hand away, surprised at his actions. Yein, however, didn't notice for she was busy trying to pat the water off her clothes. She was wearing a cotton pullover and therefore with the rain, it had soaked up most of the water that came down. Jungkook was slightly better because he had a waterproof jacket on.

"Sujeong didn't ask me to wear something waterproof," Yein sighed as she tried to untangle her hair, which she gave up after a few attempts.

Chuckling, Jungkook opened his bike's pannier, pulling out a spare windbreaker he kept for emergencies. "Take off that sweater and put this on. If not you'd catch a cold."

"I'm already cold," Yein pouted but still heeded his words and changed out of her soaked sweater. Thanking him, she slipped on his windbreaker.

"The weather was fine just now though. Wonder why it suddenly starting raining," Yein said as she peeked out to see the clouded sky.

Turning behind towards the cafe, Jungkook hummed, "guess we should go in for a hot drink to warm ourselves up."

"Yes, let's."

//

Hands wrapped around the mug, both of them didn't bother sipping on the hot drink but was more concerned about warming their cold hands. Initially intending to order a cup of coffee for himself, Yein refused profusely as she reasoned that it was late and coffee shouldn't be drunk. In the end, she forced her way and ordered two cups of hot chocolate for the both of them.

"How long do you'll think it'll be until the rain lets up?" she asked.

Studying the rain for a moment, Jungkook replied, "by the looks of it, I think another half an hour hopefully?"

 _Half an hour huh._ They both thought simultaneously.

Much too tired from the rather unexpectedly long night, both fell silent as they enjoyed their hot chocolate. The constant pitter-patter of the rain resounded even in the premises, forcing itself to be part of the music at the quiet cafe.

When the rain finally lightened to a tiny drizzle, Jungkook made the call to go and they put on their helmets, mounted up and continued their interrupted journey back to school.

//

Yein watched as Jungkook lightly gave his bike a wipe down after parking it in the hostel's lot. She was holding onto her still damp sweater and her hair was still in a mess. (She had taken a peek using the bike's rear mirror and got a shock of her life.)

Jungkook's hair wasn't exactly in a wonderful state either. His curls were all over the place although he had ruffled it to bring some fringe forward. They were looking somewhat wrinkled from the rain, just as Yein's hands were although they were hiding in the long sleeves of Jungkook's windbreaker. She assumed his hands were just as bad or worse, having been constantly in the rain.

Done, he cradled the helmets, saying he'd let them properly dry off in his room. Offering to carry, Jungkook took a look at her and without batting an eyelid, piled up the two helmets into her opened arms.

"Hang on."

Confused at what he was up to, Yein stood still as he reached both hands around her head and took the hood of his windbreaker. Pulling the hood over her head (and messy hair), he tugged it gently in place and nodded. "At least you won't look like you had a hell of a ride."

After pulling his own hood over, he took the helmets from her hands and walked ahead, leaving a fairly flustered Yein behind.


	12. abnormal

_"An abnormal reaction_   
_to an abnormal situation_   
_s normal behaviour."_   
_Viktor E. Frankl._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the middle of the busy cafeteria, there was a lone bespectacled girl in a simple oversized shirt and black jeggings. Her hair was loosely bundled up with the sole aim of keeping her hair out of her face. In one hand, there was a spoon that seemed to be on pause mode for it had been empty and hovering in the air for a while now. The other was busily flipping through a book of handwritten notes.

It was lunch hour for most students but for Yein, it was lunch hour _and_ study hour. She had one more paper to complete and was feeling under-prepared. It was the weightiest subject, and also the one she had been struggling to keep up with.

The clanging of a couple of trays sounded as they made contact with the table she was at. Looking up, there were three people towering over her.

"Goodness Yein, you look like you could do with more sleep," said Jisoo. When she saw Yein's mouth opening, she immediately raised her hands in defense and added, "though I know you can't."

"But you should eat," Jiyeon said in concern, pointing at Yein's food that was barely half-eaten.

Yein quickly stuffed her mouth as much as she could take and said in between doing so, "Sujeong unni. How do you even study for your med exams and still look fine?"

"No such secret," she answered, starting on her food. "I look terrible back in my room."

"But besides that, tonight's still on right?" asked Jisoo.

Sujeong nodded. "Yeah. At Taehyung's place."

"We can head there together if we're all leaving from here," Jiyeon suggested.

"Yein?"

Yein looked up from her notebook. "I'm going but I think I might oversleep."

//

And indeed, she did.

It was already eight thirty and the gathering was set at six thirty. They did tell her it was okay to be late because she was the only one who had a paper that day. Still, Yein set an alarm but out of fatigue, her body didn't respond at all.

In an attempt to stretch, Yein rolled over but because she was still groggy, she accidentally bumped into the side of her wardrobe. Holding her arm in pain, she wriggled around and groaned. She was still awfully exhausted from having slept a total of four hours the past two days.

"I don't wanna get up," she mumbled, eyes still closed and was _that_ close to drifting off to sleep.

As if the heaven's didn't want to let her rest, her phone began buzzing, causing her to groan once again.

"Hello?" Yein mumbled as audibly as she could.

 _"Yein?"_ It was Sujeong's voice. _"Are you up?"_

"Mhmm..."

_"You think you can be ready in half an hour?"_

"Yeah..."

_"Okay, then I'll send Jungkook to fetch you!"_

"Eh? Huh--"

The call ended.

Yein let the phone drop out of her hands. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want to do anything.

Forcing herself up, she remained seated in a daze with her eyes shut. She proceeded to raise her hands and gave her back a good stretch. Feeling more determined, she began to shuffle around the room, taking her stuff to shower. The extra two hours of nap was starting to work.

//

All fresh and refreshed, Yein was lazing on her bed when she received a text from Jungkook.

_'I'm downstairs.'_

Hastily typing her reply, Yein jumped out of bed and slipped on her sneakers. Switching all the appliances off, she locked her door and headed down.

Upon reaching the dropoff point, she was surprised to see a car instead of a bike. She had to do a double-take, unsure the first time if it was Jungkook in the driver's seat.

"Yo."

"Hey." Yein smiled as she hopped into the passenger's seat. "Thanks for coming."

"Nah, no prob. There wasn't much traffic, so Taehyung said to take his car."

As she belted up, Jungkook started the engine and they drove off.

"Is his place far from here?"

"About a 35 minute ride away."

Yein nodded and took a look outside. The night ride made her think back to that particular ride on his bike weeks ago. So spontaneous, so exhilarating. As she thought, riding on a bike compared to driving in a car was more fun.

"Ah," Jungkook interrupted her thoughts. Taking a side glance at her while still watching the road ahead, he asked, "you can drink, right?"

"I don't think I'm that bad?"

"Uh. That kind of answer means you aren't."

Breaking into a wide grin, she nodded and agreed, "I _can_ drink. But not a lot."

Jungkook let out a heavy sigh, causing Yein to frown at him. By the way he expressed it, she was feeling nervous about the what was to come.

Shaking it off, she shifted her attention to the passing street lights and signboards. Businesses were hustling by and the streets were filled with people. Not as many like on a weekend, but more than a typical Thursday.

"How was your paper?"

"Ugh, bad. It was so tough. I couldn't get answers for almost everything. Just banking on getting method marks," she sighed.

Yein continued ranting about her paper while Jungkook listened and responded. Being in the same major meant that he could understand everything she was talking about. He had actually been helping her with her studies, since he was a bright boy who easily scored well on his exams.

Time passed so quickly while chatting that before they knew it, they were at Taehyung's doorstep ringing the bell.

"Hey hey," Jimin opened the door, welcoming them with a tune. In his hands were two unopened cans of beer. With a smile, he popped open one and handed it to Yein. He passed the other to Jungkook.

"Party has started, little one."

"YEIN! HELLO! COME ON IN ALREADY!" Although she couldn't see who it was, it was definitely Mijoo.

Amused at the kind of welcome she was getting, Yein with excitement filling her, slipped off her shoes and scurried into the house. Jungkook silently watched her as he took off his shoes and followed suit.

//

The large hall roared with laughter for as high as they have become, they began playing a game that led to ridiculous results and mishaps. (They were playing King's Cup, the typical, cleaner version.)

It was Jisoo's turn to draw a card. Decisively choosing one, she quickly flipped it over and upon seeing the card, she instantly raised her hand. Following after, everyone began quickly raising their hands. She had drawn number seven, which was the rule that everyone had to raise their hands wherein the last person to do so will have to drink.

"Ah it's Yein!" everyone screamed in excitement.

"Aww why is it me again," she whined. "Y'all are way too fast!"

"You're just too slow," Sujeong said.

"Oh, Jungkook has to drink too," Taehyung kindly reminded although he said it in a teasing tone. (Typically, you do not remind people whether they have to drink or not. If they forget and are caught, they'd have to drink double.)

Sujeong chuckled, "right right. Jungkook's her mate."

'Mate' was played when the player draws the number eight on his or her turn. He or she would have to choose someone in which throughout the game from then on, the chosen one would have to drink every time the player drinks.

It wasn't that Yein intentionally picked Jungkook when she previously drew the card but everyone was bugging her to do so. Plus, he agreed before she could suggest otherwise. Hence, every time she failed at a rule, he had to drink along with her.

As she pouted and took a gulp from her cup, Jungkook downed his as well.

Seeing how she was flushed and looking more tired, he worried about whether she was doing fine. Jungkook had been watching her intake and although he didn't know what's her limit, he knew she had drunk quite a bit.

_Hope the last King card gets drawn soon._

The game continued with more fumbling, more drinking, and more laughing. Jiyeon drew number five, causing all the guys to drink while Jimin drew a six, returning the favour in getting the girls to drink. Several other cards were drawn and rules applied.

It came back to Yein's turn and somehow Jungkook just had a feeling that it was going to be a bad card.

With all attention on her, she picked a card and flipped it over. Immediately everyone shouted – in both relief and shock. She had drawn the last King from the pile.

Yein's jaw hung open in dismay. She wondered where her luck went for the day. The king's cup was filled with pretty strong stuff for the previous few who picked the card had chosen what they wanted to add inside.

Everyone else, though relieved that they weren't the ones who picked the last King, was equally concerned about Yein drinking it. They watched on in worry as she held the cup in her hands, bringing it to her mouth.

However, before it even touched her lips, the cup was snatched out of her hands. Before anyone could react, Jungkook chugged it down.


	13. doubt

_"Doubt kills more dreams_   
_than failure ever will."_   
_Karim Seddiki_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The heck was that, Jungkook?"

The boy didn't respond. He was currently trying to clear out the alcohol from his system. He had drunk more than a litre of water yet he still hadn't cleared it fully. The king's cup was seriously nasty, being a mixture of various hard liquor.

"Don't mind him," Taehyung patted Jimin's shoulder as he walked into the room they were in (which was also his bedroom). "It's just something he had been worrying about the whole time since the two of them arrived here."

"Two of them?"

"Yein."

Jimin raised his eyebrows, not getting his friend's roundabout explanation.

"I'll let him explain," said Taehyung as he plopped down on his bed and leaned against the pillows. Jimin was seated on a mattress on the floor while leaning against the foot of the bed.

"Doesn't look like he's gonna explain though."

The two older boys watched as Jungkook came out of the bathroom. His hair was still damp from having taken a shower in an attempt to make himself feel better though it was a challenge because the alcohol was so strong.

Feeling a lot better, but not enough to engage in needless chitchat, he crumbled onto the bed beside Taehyung.

"So what's up, Jungkook?" Jimin tried again.

Receiving a kick from Taehyung, Jungkook answered with a grumble. "Nothing."

This time, Jimin whacked him with a pillow and crawled up to join them on the king-sized bed, not buying his halfhearted answer. Despite the younger one not showing any interest to entertain them, the other two were not ones who gave up easily.

"So why did you drink the king's cup?" asked Jimin.

"Because it was Yein who had to drink it," replied Taehyung.

"And why did you drink it for her?"

"Because he didn't want her to suffer."

"And why not?" Jimin was beginning to smile, finally understanding what Taehyung was rambling about.

"Because..."

"He likes her," both of them said unanimously.

There was no response from Jungkook as he continued to curl up, body faced away from them. He was still awake but while everyone else understood what was going on, he was confused at his own actions and feelings. He was feeling frustrated for acting out of his usual self and also there was an unusual churning in his stomach that he had never felt before. (That churning was not due to the alcohol, thankfully.)

Taehyung and Jimin continued bugging Jungkook, teasing and chanting the fact that he was interested in Yein. They piled on top of him, poked him, pulled him till he finally shrugged them off and said, "I don't know."

"You don't know what?"

"If I... her" Jungkook couldn't even bring himself to say the word 'like', feeling that it was too much of a foreign concept.

Jimin looked at Taehyung and both of them subsequently shook their heads. Their treasured younger brother was finally growing up and yet they knew they needed to help him or else he'll never progress. Despite him being all confident in what he was good at like studies and dance, having zero experience in relationships made him shrink in skepticism.

And that was exactly what they were going to do now. Even if it were to take the whole night, they'd make him realise and understand the joy of falling for someone.

//

"So Yein. What are you gonna do?" Jisoo asked as she snuggled comfortably under the covers.

"What am I gonna do?"

"About Jungkook, duh," Mijoo answered, pausing her skin care routine to roll her eyes at their maknae's inability to catch the conversation. The girls were presently in Taehyung's guest room preparing for bed.

"You two have been a lot closer these days," noted Jiyeon.

"Uhh... I guess we _have_ gotten closer," Yein agreed while sliding under the covers beside Jisoo.

Although she had been enjoying herself just now, the situation with the king's cup brought her mood down. Unsurprisingly, just as how confused Jungkook was feeling, she too, was feeling the same.

"You do know that talking about it will help right?" Jisoo interrupted her train of thoughts.

Heaving a long sigh, Yein sat up and began sharing.

She started off with what she knew; the facts. They had gotten closer since that night ride on his bike. ( _"You rode on his bike? When was this?!"_ Mijoo was shocked at the new information; Jiyeon suspected as much; Jisoo was cool, as always.)

Since then, they've conversed through text pretty often. When asked how often, she answered in a soft voice, "almost... every... day? But! Not daily."

The texts were mostly short exchanges, sometimes about school work, group projects or dance practices. Other times he'd ask if she had eaten or if she had enough sleep the night before. Occasionally they talked more, about almost anything – a recent movie they had watched, a funny incident that happened in class, or how the food in the cafeteria tasted awful that day.

Jisoo chuckled, "totally doesn't sound like Jungkook at all." The other girls nodded in agreement.

"But that's not all right?" Sujeong piped in. She hadn't said a word since the beginning when Jisoo brought the topic up for she already knew most of it. "Hmm Yein?"

"That's not all?" Yein repeated Sujeong's question puzzledly.

"Didn't the two of you go to Yeol's Chicken together the other day?" Sujeong instigated in a teasing tone.

"What? No! You know that was just for our assignment!"

Sujeong shook her head, "Mingyu said that you guys went ahead without informing the group."

"But..."

"Woah," interrupted Mijoo. "This has progressed further than I thought it had."

The girls understood that as much as all the signs pointed to the fact that Jungkook was clearly interested in Yein, she wasn't confident for she wasn't sure if he did all those things out of interest or out of a kind heart.

They have known Jungkook longer than her and knew what he was like typically towards girls. Hearing how he had been more proactive towards caring for her, they knew he was genuinely interested. He was never like that to anyone. But it wouldn't work to just tell her since she would be doubtful.

The only way, they silently agreed, was for Jungkook to be clear with her.


	14. distraction

_"Stop being afraid of what could go wrong,_  
_and start being excited about what could go right."_  
_Tony Robbins_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Yein?"

"Yein!"

"Sorry yes?"

Sungyoon sent her a slightly confused look. They were having a meeting for the planning of the engineering major's next freshmen orientation. He was a year four and the house head of their house that consisted of four groups.

Mentally slapping herself for letting her mind wander during the meeting, Yein apologised before joining in the discussion. She was eternally thankful for her rather good multitasking skills, enabling her to act as if she was giving her full attention.

Yein had been having a difficult time.

Ever since the after-exams party and the king's cup game, she had been doing her best to be professional when interacting with Jungkook, acting as comfortably as possible. She used to think she was really good at being professional, having been brought up in a crazily competitive dance school where she had to keep her emotions and behaviour in check. For the first time in her life, the level of her professionalism was being challenged.

Appearing normal required a lot of effort on her part; she'd hide her shivering fingers behind her back or shove her hands in her pockets if she had. As much as she tried to maintain eye contact with him, she'd eventually end up diverting her gaze away.

She wasn't sure if she was being overly sensitive but through observation, Jungkook had been the same. He didn't seem like he was forcing himself to converse with her normally, he was just _normal_. It made her wonder what his actions truly meant that night. One thing for sure, it made her doubtful all over again.

To make matters worse, some genius decided to pair them up as group leaders in the same group. Yein was sure no one outside their circle knew anything because another girl came up to her to tell her 'how lucky' she was to be paired up with Jungkook.

All in all, she understood that for now, even though her outward wall was breaking apart, she had to continue holding the fort.

//

"Yeinnn!" Mijoo sang as she sauntered into her own room.

Jisoo was busy hacking away at her keyboard in the midst of a game while Yein was occupying her bed, scrolling through her phone. Whenever she was feeling bored alone, Yein would frequent Jisoo and Mijoo's room. She could just go next door to Sujeong's but that girl was often not around or Taehyung would be there (which made her want to reconsider pulling out from their agreement to be roomies the coming semester).

"Welcome back," Yein said, glancing up to look at her friend.

"How's your orientation planning going?"

Yein slammed her phone down with a glare, surprising Mijoo. "Guess what? I'm paired up with Jungkook."

"Isn't that good?" Jisoo said while still focused on her game.

"How is that good?" she whined.

"Good cause y'all will be able to work well together. Not like you have to work with someone you don't know," responded Jisoo.

"Or don't like. Like Yooseong," Mijoo added.

Sighing, Yein agreed. "That's... true..."

"So what's the real issue hmm?" asked Mijoo as she pulled over her sweater.

Eyes darting around and chest rising for another sigh, Yein shook her head. She didn't really know what was wrong. She just felt so confused with her emotions being all jumbled up.

"Upset that he's acting totally unaffected by everything?"

Yein looked up at Jisoo beside her in shock. It was like she nailed it.

"Mmm... Knowing Jungkook, you just need to give him some time," assured Mijoo, her tone relaxed and casual.

While Yein pondered over what Mijoo said, the girl interjected with a question which with the way she asked it, sounded like a rhetorical question. "You'll still be able to dance with him right?"

Flashing a smile, though not one that wanted to tease her little friend, she continued, "Revolution is up to perform for closing night. And we're gonna perform our competition routine."

//

The door beeped open and a lifeless body stumbled in, collapsing right onto the bed. Kicking her flipflops off, Yein rolled around and stared blankly at the white ceiling.

_I've got to dance with Jungkook?_

Rolling onto her side, she grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly.

_Of all things, why do they have to do the competition routine? There are so many others we've learnt and performed._

The more she grumbled and complained, the more upset she felt. The more upset she felt, the more she grumbled. And before she knew it, Yein had a really ugly frown on her face and her heart was feeling extremely bitter about the situation.

Realising that it wasn't helping, she heaved a long and heavy sigh. Springing up, she used both hands to smack her cheeks. With some newfound determination, she shoved her pillow aside and crawled over to her chair. Opening her laptop, she immediately set her mind to focus on the various tasks she had to complete for the orientation.


	15. trust

_"Trust is the first step to love."_   
_Munshi Premchand_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It had been two months since the incident and everything seemed like it went back to how it was before. Yein managed to put her confused thoughts aside, enabling her to interact with Jungkook with no issues.

In fact, their interaction was so normal that their friends became a little worried about the situation between the two. However, knowing that it would be of no help if they probed, they all decided to kept quiet.

"Yein noona!"

Yein cringed and made a face. _Who the heck are you calling noona?!_ Wiping the look of distaste off her face, she turned around sporting a blank expression, "yes?"

In front of her were three freshmen whom she didn't recognise. They weren't from her group and hence, she had no idea why these kids would come calling for her.

"We wanna ask," one of them sheepishly started. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Yein blinked. Was it that times were changing and the younger generation was becoming more annoyingly straightforward? Or was it just her being stubbornly conservative? All she knew was that she disliked it when these kind of guys approached her.

Through gritted teeth, Yein flashed a smile and said, "whether I have a boyfriend or not doesn't concern you. You should focus on your studies, please."

As the boys turned around to go back to their group, she heard them whispering to each other, "she doesn't have a boyfriend, for sure!"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Yein tiredly wondered what kind of other nonsense would befall upon her. It was the second time she was asked the same question within the first day of orientation. _In just one freaking day._

Heading back to her own group, she sat down with a sigh. Feeling a hand hook her arm, she looked at the girl to her left and sighed once more.

"Unni, next time you should just punch them or flick their foreheads or like, do a shoulder-throw! They're so annoying!"

Yein chuckled, "Yoojung ah, I think that will get me into a lot more trouble."

"But she's right unni, maybe you can step on their feet or something!" agreed Dayoung who was nodding fervently by her other side.

"Why? Did someone come and bug you again sunbae?" another group member, Joochan, asked.

Noticing how worriedly her juniors looked at her, Yein smiled. She was reminded that this was what having juniors felt like – dongsaengs who looked up to her and clung onto her, and were also sometimes protective.

"It's fine. I'll just ignore them regardless."

//

"Five minutes to performance! Let's get ready!"

Yein did a quick check in the glass' reflection, ensuring her attire was proper and combed her hair with her fingers. Scurrying after the others to the side of the stage, she ran through the dance routine in her head.

She was feeling somewhat afraid she would screw up for she felt like she hadn't had enough practice. Although they had danced the competition routine till it was ingrained in their bodies, having not dance it for two weeks made her worried that she might forget and slip up.

"Ah!" Yein winced quietly as a finger suddenly hit her head.

Although she guessed it was Jungkook, before she could turn around to see him, she heard him whisper, "don't worry, just follow my lead."

With her back still facing him, she heard the sound of his steady breathing and oddly, she felt her worries vanish. His words were so simple and yet it brought so much assurance. She knew she could trust him (or at least, when it came to dance and maybe school work, but that's something else to talk about another time).

Walking up the stage together with the crew, Yein smiled, confidence enveloping her. She suddenly recalled all the times she danced till she dropped, all the times she stumbled and fell, all the times she held her head in frustration, and also all the times she looked ahead and felt with all her heart, that she loved to dance.

The crowd was wild. Everyone knew who Revolution was and everyone loved them. With the music cued by Jimin who raised his hand while the crew was in position, the closing night performance began.

Finishing the first segment, Yein walked to the side of the stage and waited. She wasn't part of the first portion of the second segment. Watching Mijoo rock her solo, Yein enjoyed every bit of her dance from where she stood.

As the performance went on, she got ready to reenter for the second portion. It involved a group part and was then followed by her duet with Jungkook.

Casually glancing across to the other side of the stage, Yein saw Jungkook looking right at her. Surprised at their unexpected eye contact, she raised her fist as she cheered in her mind, _"hwaiting."_

In response, he smiled and did the same.

 _Five si_ x. They quickly walk to their positions and immediately joined the rest on stage.

Finishing that part of the routine, Yein did an elegant leap in the air before running across the stage. Taking another jump, she fell into Jungkook's arms. He took her and twirled around, as how the dance was choreographed.

They completed their duet without any mistakes and although Yein couldn't really pinpoint what it was, she knew that it was the best performance they had ever performed up to date. Not that the previous times were imperfect; they were pretty much the perfect duo. But somehow, this time was just better.

The crew excited hugged each other after leaving the stage, telling one another that they did great.

Yein beamed as she reached her hand out for a fist bump with Jungkook, with Mijoo's lanky arms wrapped around her neck from behind. "Guess trusting you really worked!"

Bumping his fist with hers, Yein thought it was the end as he walked past her and Mijoo. But right before he disappeared from the field of her vision, he used the same hand and ruffled her hair gently. At that moment, she wondered if what she saw was accurate: Jungkook had a rather shy smile on his face.

She was about to ask Mijoo if she saw it but realised the girl had her head on the other side of her shoulder, meaning she wasn't looking in Jungkook's direction when it happened. Furthermore, Mijoo was busy talking to a few Revolution crew.

_Maybe I was wrong. Yeah. I probably saw wrongly._

But at the back of her heart, she felt a stirring sensation.


	16. reversal

_"Chase your stars fool, life is short."_   
_Atticus_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Goodness unni! You were freaking awesome!"

Yein's eyes grew wide in amusement as she watched Yoojung squealing like a fangirl. She often wondered the past few days as to where this hyper girl got her energy from. Despite her small stature, she was overflowing abundantly with energy all the time.

The little girl and Dayoung had been raving quietly (or not so quietly) about how her and Jungkook's duet was insanely good and how their chemistry made it totally flawless. It was true though. Yein did feel that they had an unexplained upgrade in chemistry. She was so comfortable with him and in his arms and he seemed just as so.

That aside, closing night had ended with a bang and now her group was having an after-party at a nearby bar. It was a pretty chill place; with a live band (that was good) and really comfortable seats.

Everything was good, yes, but there were some not very good stuff about it too. Mainly, there were other groups at the same bar and it so happened that an annoying group was one of the few – the group with the three guys who has asked Yein if she had a boyfriend.

Upon noticing them when they first stepped into the place, Yoojung took up the role of 'protecting unni', in which Dayoung and Joochan immediately 'joined'.

Although she told them to relax and that it was not needed, Yein was increasingly irritated at the constant conversations they exchanged that were purposely said in a volume loud enough for her to here. They weren't holding back and simply stared directly in her direction.

Doing her best to ignore their attention, Yein distracted herself with the food and drinks. She also focused on chatting with her group, tuning out everything else.

//

However, maybe eating and drinking wasn't the best idea. It required her to need the restroom and hence, put her in the current situation of one of the guys blocking her way.

_Okay, maybe I should have allowed Yoojung to accompany me._

"Um, would you be so kind as to let me get back to my seat please?" Yein asked, the politeness in her speech hinting at the sarcasm she intended.

"Aww, come on Yein noona," the guy grinned. "How 'bout a date. Just one date."

Yein looked at him and raised an eyebrow. She could tell that he was pretty confident of his looks, and he was rather tall at probably about 1.8m. Even so, his forceful way of approaching her made her disgusted.

_If you were a gentleman, I might have actually considered._

"I mean," he continued while folding his arms, "you don't have anyone at the moment and I don't. So why not?"

Flashing a smile his way, Yein answered curtly, "just cause. Now if you'd excuse me." She forced her way past him and hurried to her group.

"Unni!" Dayoung looked at her worriedly. "Did he follow you to the toilet?"

"He what?!" Yoojung screeched.

"It's fine. I'm alright."

Before she could reassure them that it was okay, someone slammed a glass on her table. Looking up, she saw it was that same guy. Now that he was under the different light, she could tell that he had a trace of red shades on his cheek, indicating his slightly drunken state.

Despite the harsh stares he was getting from her group who was extremely protective of her, he smirked confidently.

"Noona," he began, disgusting smirk still on his face. "If you cannot down this, you'll be my girl. If you can," he raised his hands in the end, "I'll not touch you anymore."

Yein's eyes travelled towards the glass on the table. It was a large beer glass but in it, was obviously not just beer. It probably contained retarded things inside although based on what his group ordered, they probably couldn't afford too expensive alcohol.

"How does that sound?" he asked. "I mean, noona, you're tough and all. So if it's this, you can handle it right?"

Seriously getting to her, Yein ended up glaring at him. It was such a stupid challenge and she didn't need to take it. And she wasn't going to.

"Ah. If not, I can drink it, and it'll obviously mean you lose. And you're mine."

"Ah, so if someone else drinks it, it'll be okay?"

A figure stepped between them, blocking her from the guy's view. Yein began to panic when she recognised the back to be Jungkook's. The scene wasn't exactly the same but it was all too familiar. Just like that night.

She was afraid Jungkook would do something stupid. She was afraid he'd get sick from the glass of alcohol. She was also afraid, even though she wasn't sure if he would, that he'd punch the guy. It was only right to assume like Yein did because everyone around that table definitely felt an imminent anger seething out of Jungkook.

The guy was taken aback by the sudden interference. It was evident from the way he stuttered nervously, "a-ah. Sunbaenim?"

Grabbing hold of the glass by its body, not the handle, he began to chug the drink down. This was when Yein really started to panic. Sweat drops formed on her creased forehead and at the back of her neck while her hands frantically grasped each other.

Shoving the now empty mug into the guy's hand, Jungkook leaned over and said in a low voice, "next time, don't try and own someone. They're not 'things' for grabs, hoobae."

Turning around, Jungkook noticed Yein looking at him with eyes filled with worry. She looked like she was about to say something when the guy interrupted.

"What the hell, sunbaenim. Who are you to even take on the challenge?! It was between me and Yein noona!"

Turning his head around with a menacing glare, Jungkook growled, "who am I?"

Trying to seem unafraid although he was shaking in fear, the guy said, "it's not like you're dating her or anything right?"

Jungkook's expression changed. He had a look of confidence and yet it was mixed with some confusion. Shrugging his shoulders, he answered, "maybe?"


	17. worth the wait

_"Love cannot be measured by how long you wait,_   
_it's about how well you understand why you're waiting."_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Maybe? What on earth is maybe?!_

Yein stared at the fallen leaves and kicked the ground. She was sitting on a bench at the entrance of the bar they had been relaxing at the past four hours.

"Ah, you're still here?"

Jungkook was standing at the doorway. He had gone to the restroom when the group decided it was time to leave.

Yein nodded in response. "I made sure the guys sent the girls back."

"I see," he answered, looking straight ahead. After a brief moment, he asked, "shall we get going then?"

"Mhm."

As they walked in silence, Yein had a lot running through her mind. She had questions in which she wanted answers for, and she had questions in which she didn't really want answers for.

After fighting in her mind on what to say, she finally mustered her courage.

"I'm sorry."

Yein expected him to stop in his tracks but Jungkook simply continued walking in the same slow pace.

"For what?"

"Uh... you drank another drink on my behalf."

The sound of the crunching of leaves underfoot persisted, graciously filing the gaps in their conversation.

"That's my problem. I chose it. You don't have to be sorry."

Yein stole a glance at him and watched as he trudged on, hands in his hoodie, eyes looking straight ahead. He occasionally looked at the road and behind them, as if he was looking out for cars or bicycles.

Unsure of how to continue, Yein, with her hands also shoved in the pockets of her matching hoodie, quietly walked on while having her eyes trail on the ground. She was now walking slightly ahead of Jungkook.

Apart from the occasional buzz of passing cars, she could clearly hear the crunching sound from under her feet and his. So much so that it became like a melody in her head. His was heavy while hers was light.

When the crunch behind her ceased, it was replaced with his voice.

"I'm the one who's sorry."

Yein stopped and turned around to face Jungkook. What she saw surprised her. He still had his confident, Jungkook look but somehow it was laced with vulnerability.

"I was afraid. Afraid to take that step forward; that I may lose what I already had."

She watched as he anxiously rubbed his hands with his head hung low.

"But," he raised his head to look at her, "I realised that if I don't do anything now, I'll still lose it."

Folding his lips nervously, he said in a soft voice, "Yein ah, I'm sorry for taking so long but--"

Staring into her eyes, he took a deep breath.

"--I don't want to lose you."

Yein felt a lump in her throat.

"촣아해/I like you."

Yein didn't know what to do. She hadn't been confessed to in such a manner and Jungkook was smiling at her, a kind of smile she had never seen before.

It looked so special, so different from his usual and Yein knew, it was an expression filled with love. It tugged at her heart, as his smile always had. But this time, she had to admit, he made her fall for him all over again. And despite all the frustrations she went through, she felt that it was worth the wait.

Seeing how he now had a look of anticipation and worry, seemingly because she hasn't uttered a word since, Yein broke into a wide smile. He looked like a little child waiting eagerly for his present.

Closing the distance between them, she gazed into his eyes. Breaking into a shy grin and letting her gaze fall to the ground, she chuckled. It felt so surreal hearing his confession.

"Ah~ I finally hear it from you." Yein said in a playful manner.

Jungkook looked away in embarrassment. When their gazes met again, he beamed gladly.

"Yein ah, I like you."

Unable to hide her wide smile that turned her eyes into little smiling crescents, Yein replied, "나도/Me too. I like you."

As the midnight wind blew the leaves off its branches, the two of them remained standing there, like two idiots simply grinning at each other.


	18. epilogue // hold on

_"Beauty begins the moment_   
_you decide to be yourself."_   
_Coco Chanel_

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_"Oh woah, what was that man?"_

_Jungkook frowned at the situation with his arms folded across his chest. Jangjun, who had verbally expressed his frustration, was by his_ _side_.

_They had just witnessed three unknown guys trying to pick Yein up and from her expression and actions, Jungkook could tell that she was utterly annoyed. Compared to that though, he could feel himself raging inside._

_"Are you not gonna do anything bro?"_

_"Do what?"_

_"Teach those idiots a good lesson, of course," Jangjun raged, barely remembering to control his volume. Changing back to a hushed mutter, he asked, "aren't you gonna confess to Yein?"_

_When his friend didn't respond, Jangjun simply shook his head and said while watching Yein happily chat with her group. "If you don't do anything soon, you're probably going to regret it."_

_"You know that right?" he said as he put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. Giving it a pat, he left to rejoin his own group._

_Jungkook continued watching as Yein laughed and fooled around with Yoojung and Dayoung. Eyeing the three guys who approached her, he wondered what he should do._

_//_

_Although Jungkook had been trying his best to enjoy the after-party, he couldn't help but be filled with anger when he saw the constant wooing Yein was getting. He saw one guy, obviously quite drunk, approach their table. He had been observing the whole night and he knew this guy had his eye on her._

_"Noona," the guy began with a disgusting smirk on his face. "If you cannot down this, you'll be my girl. If you can," he raised his hands, "I'll not touch you anymore."_

_The hell. Jungkook cursed in his mind. As he had been watching the guy's every move, he roughly knew what was mixed in that glass. And he knew that Yein wouldn't be able to drink that._

_Such a childish move._

_"How does that sound?" he asked. "I mean, noona, you're tough and all. So if it's this, you can handle it right?"_

_He saw how Yein glared at the guy, feeling her tolerance reaching its limit. He knew tough as she was, she was one who'd dive into the challenge. And that was something he wasn't gonna let her do._

_Jungkook was about to tell her not to bother when the guy suddenly started talking again._

_"Ah. If not, I can drink it, and it'll obviously mean you lose. And you're mine."_

_That was it._ _He snapped._ _Jungkook immediately rose from his seat and walked over. Standing between them, he purposely blocked Yein from the guy's view. Feeling heat rising inside, he breathed deeply to calm himself down._

_"Ah, so if someone else drinks it, it'll be okay?"_

_"A_ _-ah. Sunbaenim?"_

_Confidently gr_ _abbing hold of the glass, Jungkook began to chug the drink down._ _The bitterness stung and it was probably the adrenaline that helped him not give up._

_Shoving the now empty mug into the guy's hand, Jungkook leaned over and said in a low voice, "next time, don't try and own someone. They're not 'things' for grabs, hoobae."_

_Turning around, Jungkook noticed Yein looking at him with eyes filled with worry. He wanted to smile; to tell her he was alright, that she didn't need to wear such a worried expression. She looked like she was about to say something and he was waiting for it when the guy interrupted_ _._

_"What the hell, sunbaenim. Who are you to even take on the challenge?! It was between me and Yein noona!"_

_Turning his head around with a menacing glare, Jungkook growled, "who am I?"_

_I'm someone who knows her way better than you, idiot._

_"I_ _t's not like you're dating her or anything right?"_

_Jungkook blinked. His anger subsided a great deal and in place of it, he slightly frowned as he genuinely began thinking._

_Yein and him becoming an item wasn't something he had really thought of. He was contented with their friendship; with her by his side. When he found out they were paired up for the duet, he was excited. When he found out they were group leaders together, he was glad._

_However, maybe it wasn't that he didn't think of the possibly but rather, that he had been putting it off. Some part of him knew that he was avoiding it because he was afraid to screw up down the road. He had seen so many relationships start off well but end up badly. Being able to hit off well doesn't mean you'll be able to keep that dynamic throughout the journey._

_He thought that by doing so, he was able to protect the friendship with Yein. He thought they could remain the way they were forever. Yet now, he realised that it was something he couldn't control. New people were bound to enter their lives and there was no guarantee that Yein would stay by his side._

_I guess I really got to hold on now._

_Shrugging his shoulders, he answered, "maybe?"_

A U T H O R ' S N O T E S

Hello and thank you so much for reading this story! This story was written (as previously mentioned) with lots of pauses and I apologise for the long period recently that I stopped publishing. The chapters were written but I lost the rhythm in posting them.

Here's where I'll like to call this, uh, _**the end of season one**_. For one, I wasn't sure where to direct the next stage to and two, I didn't want to dive into it without a concrete plan.

Soooooooo... let's wait and hope for season two to come out? Hahaha.

That aside, in conjunction with the end of this season, I released a **new** (long) oneshot of **jungkook x yein** story! Hehe. Don't say I didn't deprive y'all of stories! Titled _**소중한 그대에게 / For You, My Precious**_.

Thank you, and see ya!


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